accompanied by his retinue, he came upon the hermitage of the great sage Basistha. The king and his men were both tired and hungry by this time.
The
sage welcomed the King, and caused refreshments to be brought forth. The King
was very much surprised, that a complete feast had been laid out for his army!
There were delectable dishes of every description and refreshing drinks of
every variety. The King and his followers dined in style.
Bishwamitra
then said to Basistha, "O Sage, how is that, living isolated in the
forest, with no visible means of support, you were able to provide such a
lavish feast for me and my men? Is it the result of some great magic that you
alone know? Or have the celestials blessed you with the means to entertain your
guests in style?"
The
sage said, "King, what you witnessed was no magic. Indra has given me
Nandini, the calf of his divine cow Kamadhenu. Like her mother, this sacred
calf is capable of yielding all manner of riches. Thanks to her, I was able to
provide you with refreshments in no time."
The
King felt that this calf could solve the problem of feeding his great army. He
said to the sage, "O Great one, I shall give you ten thousand heads of
first-class cattle. Give me this calf Nandini in exchange. She will be very
useful to me."
"O
King, this cow has been kept by me for the sake of Gods, guests and my Pitris
(ancestors). Besides, she is essential to me for the conduct of my sacrifices.
I cannot give away the gift of Indra, not even if you were to offer me your
whole kingdom."
The
King then grew angry. "I am a Kshatriya, endued with great energy and the
scrouge of my enemies. I have all the power in the world. What power do you, a
mere Brahmana, who spends his time in prayer and meditation have? Since you
have refused to give me your cow in fair exchange, I shall take her away by
force. She is more useful in the hands of a King than in the hands of a
hermit!"
Basistha
said, "You well know the merit of a Brahmana, however drunk by power, you
do not consider the propriety of your actions. Do what you will. I shall not
attempt to stop you."
